


Unexpected Visitors

by aurora_denian



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Alternate Universe, Femslash, Het, Multi, Retcon, Romance, Slash, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-05-24
Updated: 2008-05-24
Packaged: 2017-10-23 23:54:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/256516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aurora_denian/pseuds/aurora_denian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A hiccup with the rift causes unforeseen complications for the Torchwood team.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Unexpected Visitors

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the following that is recognizable, it is the property of BBC Wales, the writers of Torchwood, and anyone else who is recieving royalties right now. All unrecognizable characters are mine, so please don't take without asking first.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the following that is recognizable, it is the property of BBC Wales, the writers of Torchwood, and anyone else who is recieving royalties right now. All unrecognizable characters are mine, so please don't take without asking first.

AN: Okay, this is something new for me, and I wrote it mostly to get over my writers block, which is why I haven't updated any of my older stories. It's a totally and completely new direction for me, and I kinda like it. This does contain slash, and femslash though, so if that isn't to your liking than don't read it. Other than that, please review!

* * *

Unexpected Visitors

As far as days went at Torchwood, it had been fairly mild, a few rift spikes, one Weevil wondering through a parking lot, and not a single mangled body to be found. It was a rarity for such a day to occur and in all honesty every one was a bit on edge. No activity on the rift rarely boded well for the Torchwood team, but never the less they viewed it as wasteful to look a gift horse in the mouth, so to speak. Ianto worked his way around the kitchen, absent mindedly making the teams coffee. The others were sprawled around the hub, working on left over paper work, or staring off it to space as in Gwen's case. Jack had stepped out a few hours ago to talk to an informant of some kind, so as a whole the hub was fairly quiet. He had just placed the last mug of coffee on his tray, when an odd sensation ran up him spine, almost as though he'd shocked himself while touching something medal. Shaking off the feeling as just that he exited the kitchen.

Not five steps from the door a loud boom like thunder echoed through out the hub, startling everyone. Glancing up Ianto watched in slight amazement as the entire doom of the hub was filled with a brilliant golden flash of light. Blinking rapidly to get the spots from in front of his eyes he was even more amazed to open them to the sight of five people he didn't recognize standing in the hub. The small group, made up of two men and three women, glanced around in slight confusion. Shuffling slightly he drew the attention of one of the group, a tall brown haired women no older then her mid twenties. She stared at him for a moment before her clear blue eyes widened just marginally. Her lips parted slightly in a look of complete shock before she took a step forward. "Well... Fuck!"

Her exclamation reverberated through out the hub, drawing everyone's attention towards her. A tall blond woman stepped forwards to wrap an arm around her waist. "Luv? What is it?" she asked, her voice calm and soothing. Instead of responding she merely pointed at Ianto as though that would explain everything. The other woman shifted her own blue gaze towards him, before a look of understanding crossed her face. "Well, I'd say this is a fuck worthy situation then. Meg, hand me the rift monitor please."

An Asian woman wearing what looked like business attire stepped forward a small metallic object in hand before giving it over to the other woman and stepping back. Her gaze drifted so momentarily to Tosh before she straightened herself that Ianto almost hadn't caught the movement. "If I may ask, how the hell did you people get in here?" he finally managed to get out, looking around the hub for some kind of answer.

The blond woman ignored him for a moment, busily tapping buttons on the device she was holding. She glanced up at him briefly before sighing at continuing what she was doing. "We experienced a massive influx of rift activity, traced it to the other side of Cardiff, near the bay, some old memorial thing. Stepped out of the van and the next thing we know we're here, where ever that is." She didn't look up as she explained, and Ianto had the distinct feeling she was hiding something.

"This is Torchwood, right?" the brunette woman asked, glancing shyly about. "I remember it, from when I was a kid." The woman beside her shot her a look and she quickly quieted, going back to glancing around.

"How did you know this is Torchwood?" Gwen asked finally rising from her set to get a closer look at the group. Ianto watched from his spot as she sized them up, just as he had, taking in their odd clothing and looks. She stopped in front of the woman who had spoken, looking into her face for a moment, trying to get her to meet her eyes.

"Don't say anything, any of you. The last thing we need is another bloody paradox to fix, especially after the last one almost destroyed three galaxies. And we don't have you know who's help this time around." the blond woman said still not looking up from the device she was tinkering with. "Aha! I've got it! We're in 2007, spring sometime, our universe. Not that bad, we should be able to fix everything and be home by dinner!" A bright smile spread across her face that Ianto found slightly familiar but he couldn't place.

Owen chose this moment to stand up, stalking over to the group. "Now wait a bleeding minute you can't just swan in here and out again with out so much as a by your leave! I'm second in command here, and I say your going to bleeding explain yourselves right this minute!" The sound of flesh hitting flesh resounded throughout the room no sooner than the last word had left his lips.

"Meg!" came the collective gasp from the other group as the Asian woman, Meg, was forcibly picked up off the ground by a dark haired man. She struggled for a moment, attempting to kick at Owen while he was getting up off the floor with Tosh's help. The man held her off of the ground for a few moments more till she stopped struggling, before placing her gently back on the floor.

"Feel better?" the man asked as he released her. Meg shot him a glare before taking on a defensive pose.

"Been wanting to do that since I was ten, what do you think?" she spat out, glaring at Owen as he nursed his sore cheek. The silence only lasted a minute before she moved quickly fist raised in attack. The man standing behind her moved more quickly, grabbing her up again before she'd even made it half the distance. "Let me go! Fuck you Quinn!"

"Megumi you will settle down this instant, and that's an order!" the blond woman snapped as she stood in front of her, her eyes cold as ice. Meg still struggled.

"Your not my superior Tyler, so fuck off too! That basterd deserves more than just a punch! After what he did!" The rest of her ranting quickly deteriorated into in to Japanese that only Tosh could understand. Ianto watched as Tosh's eyes grew wide at listening to her rant, anger over taking her own features.

Her hand moved before she even realized it, hitting Owen's arm with no little force. "You left her mother while she was pregnant! What kind of heartless basterd are you!" she yelled before retreating back to her desk. The rest of the room merely looked at him, either in shock or indifference.

"Come on Tosh, do the math! She's got to be in her twenties! What, did I have a kid when I was in grade school!" Owen yelled back before slumping into a chair.

"That's it all of you! No one says anything else, this thing is quickly turning into the exact situation I wanted to avoid! The only thing that could make this worse would be if You know who showed up right now!" No sooner had the blonds rant trailed off then the cog door began to open. Turning sharply the woman devolved into a fit of cursing as she stared at the figure standing in the door.

"I leave you kids alone for an hour and you through a party with out me." Jack joked as he walked into the hub. Stepping up to the blond he gave her a charming smile. "And just who might you be?"

A slightly green color came over her face at Jack's flirt. "I think I'm going to be sick." she muttered, a scowl taking up residence on her face. "I would appreciate it, Captain Harkness, if you would please refrain from your usual way of dealing with people." A frown crossed Jack's face momentarily but he nodded. "Who we are isn't important, we are here totally on accident. We were trying to track rift activity this morning and the next instant we're here. We simply need help on calibrating a few pieces of equipment and we'll be on our way home. Any delay here might cause a paradox that none of us would like very much."

Jack nodded along, staring at her closely. He stopped short as he made eye contact. "I know your eyes." he said, more so to himself than to her. Jumping back slightly he pointed a slightly shaky finger at her. "No, no. That's impossible."

"Impossible is a funny word Captain Harkness, as you should know. Impossible things are rarely, truly impossible." she quipped, shrugging her shoulders in a dismissive manner.

"But this," he said forcefully, grabbing hold of her t-shirt covered shoulders. "This really is. I can see them both, right there. Mostly him though, but she's there too, that gold. You've got gold in your blue eyes. What's your name?"

The woman in front of him sighed heavily but didn't make any move to pull away. "You know this is going to cause a serious problem since your not supposed to meet me for another two years." she explained, a soft smile over taking her lips.

"You'll be born in two years? That can't be right." Jack said, letting go of her and stepping back to take her in. "You have her hair by the way."

She laughed slightly and shook her head. "Never said born, said meet. As for the hair, well, he had blond for a while too. Kinda glade I didn't get the curls though, that would have been too much. There are a lot of things I can't tell you. This entire thing could cause the worlds to implode. None of us are supposed to be here, hell most of us aren't even born yet." A snort came from behind her, causing them all to turn their attention to the other woman.

"What? It's kinda funny! It's not every day you get to live before your born. What's the damage in telling them anyway? A simple memory wipe will solve everything once were gone. Or if this is a fixed point none of us will exist if we don't intervene." she said slipping her hand into the other woman's. A look passed between them, both smiling as the blond pressed a kiss against her forehead.

Turning her attention back to Jack she stood up straighter. "My name's Jenny, and I'm currently second in command for Torchwood 3." Silence descended somewhat eerily after she spoke, as though everyone was afraid to make even the slightest sound. "Anyway, this is my crew." She waved a hand to indicate the others, before turning her full attention back to Jack.

"They named you Jenny?" he asked, a slight smile curving on his lips.

"Nah." Jenny laughed. "Donna named me that, after some flick she saw once, can't remember the name now. It just sorta stuck since I liked it. Dad wanted to give me a proper name of course but we just sorta kept it as Jenny." The woman beside her leaned against her, almost sleepily laying her head against Jenny's shoulder.

Still smiling Jack took a step to the side to look at the rest. "So than, who's this crew of your's?" He looked over them one at a time as though sizing them up.

Jenny winced slightly at his question but turned to look at them as well. "This is were things get interesting. And, well, complicated to say the least." she tried to explain, a slight slump to her shoulders.

Ianto chose this moment to step forward. "Perhaps some coffee will help the introductions go more smoothly?" he offered, a slightly strained smile in place. One of the men standing in front of him looked a bit too much like Jack for his liking, and Jenny's hint at being from the future left a foul taste in the back of his throat.

The brunette seemed to perk up at this. "You make coffee?" she asked, seemingly overly excited about such a mundane thing. Ianto nodded, slightly confused. The woman looked at Jenny for a moment, seemingly sharing some secret knowledge before a bright smile broke out on her face. "I'll come help, I know how everyone likes their's."

"As a tea girl should." one of the men called after her as she made her way towards the kitchen.

She spun around glaring at him. "I'm not the fucking tea girl!" she shouted before storming off into the kitchen.

Jenny glared at him in a manner that made the laughter die on his lips. "I don't think you want to have that conversation we had last year again, do you?" she asked, ice dripping from each syllable. He nodded a bit skittishly, looking anywhere but at her. "Good. Now, lets all set down, be polite, nonviolent, and wait for our coffee." Every one did as instructed, some more willingly so then others.

Less then ten minutes later Ianto and the other woman returned from the kitchen carrying two trays of steaming coffee. Ianto quietly distributed his while he watched the brunette out of the corner of his eye, dutifully and quietly handing each of her teammates a cup. Once he was finished he stood to the side as she stopped in front of Jenny, handing her the last mug with a smile. "Thanks, Bri." she said softly, brushing her hand against her's as she took the mug. "Aren't you going to have any?"

A slightly forced smile crossed her lips as she shook her head. "No ma'am. Have my job to do." she said so quietly Ianto almost missed her words. For a moment he saw his own life reflected in her. Jenny nodded just the same, a dark look forming in the corners of her eyes.

Turning back to the collective group Jenny took a sip of her coffee sighing heavily. "So, I guess the real question is, what exactly do you want to know?" She let her eyes roam over both the new and old faces in the room before, leaning back in her chair.

"Well, I want to know," Gwen began, leaning forward slightly. "Just who are all of you. I mean your names and things."

Jenny nodded, sizing up the other woman just slightly as she did so. "Fair enough. The man at the far end," she began pointing to the man that had held Meg earlier. "Is Kenzie Quinn, our liaison with UNIT at the current moment, and our connection to the local police. Next to him is Meg, Megumi, Sato, she's our resident medic even though Quinn has the training as well. Next to him, is Ian Harkness." She stopped slightly, waiting for any interruptions that might come from this revaluation. When no one spoke up she moved on. "He's our resident techno geek, not as smart as Tori, but she's on maternity leave for the moment so we have to take what we can get. Then we have the amazing Briallen Jones, our administrator. And lastly, me Jenny Tyler, second in command of Torchwood three."

Finished she leaned back in her chair at took a long drink of her coffee. Her eyes drifted over to Ianto for a moment, taking in the hollow look in his eyes. She really wished she hadn't been the one to put it there. Looking over at Jack she saw a smile break out on his face, even though it didn't quiet met his eyes. "So, I'm guessing I have a son then." he said, glancing across at the younger man. Ian shot him a smile, an almost gloating look in his eyes. Jenny felt Briallen stiffen slightly beside her and almost wanted to kill both of them. A soft sound, almost a mix between a sigh and a sob escaped Briallen a moment later. Jenny shifted her gaze to look up at her, the other woman stood stark stile a shaking hand covering her mouth.

"I'm.. I'm sorry. I have... I have to... make coffee." Briallen stuttered out, grabbing her tray and hurrying towards the kitchen. Jenny's hearts almost broke in that very instance. Turning she saw the smug look that crossed Ian's face.

Anger boiled inside of her as she saw the pleasure he was taking in the situation. "You may have the name Harkness, Ian, but your never going to live up to it. Never." she spat at him, her voice raising with each word. Closing her eyes she tried to calm herself. "Do any of you have anymore questions?"

"I have one, if it's not too much trouble." Jenny smiled as she opened her eyes. Tosh sat perched at the end of her seat looking at Meg in wide eyed wonder. "You, you said that your last name was Sato. Are you, are you related to me? I've always wanted a niece, I just never thought my brother would settle down long enough. So are you?" The sheer hope that resided in here eyes was beautiful.

Meg crossed the gap between them, kneeling before Tosh and taking her hand. "No, I'm not your niece." she spoke softly. The light quickly disappeared from Tosh's eyes but Meg held her hand firmly. "I'm your daughter." The words hung thick with emotion, tears welling in both of their eyes. Tosh launched herself forward at the other woman, holding her closely as sobs over took her. "I'm here, Mum, I'm here. Not going anywhere."

Jenny didn't speak for a moment, giving the two a chance to simply be there for each other. Before she could even open her mouth to continue Owen had shot up off the couch, staring at the two in utter shock. "Wait a minute. You said, I left your mother, you mean I left..." his voice trailed off as he ran an unsteady hand over his face. "Why.. I would never do that, not to anyone. Not to Tosh!"

Meg stood up, her dark eyes glaring at him. "But you did. Oh, she used to tell me the stories of how you died saving the world, big heroic stuff, and I believed her. Till I turned 10 and you came swanning back into our lives like it was you who was inconvenienced! Didn't even want anything to do with me! Just showed up, helped stop some alien thing, and poof! You even had the nerve to come back, several times in fact. Each time the same. I had to go through my teenage years wondering if this would be the day Mum came home crying because you'd shown up again!" By the time Meg had finished she was standing in his face screaming. Letting a slightly unsteady breath out she took back, staring at him. "In the end that's what did it. It wasn't the aliens that killed her. It was you. I'm gonna go see how Briallen's coming along with that coffee." Not even glancing at anyone she exited into the kitchen.

Sighing Jenny looked at the shell shocked group. "This is why I didn't want to say anything. We've changed the future simply by being here!" Jack stared at here, his eyes no doubt looking for her father in here. "And no Jack, I'm not Rose's daughter, not really. I was cloned by accident when Dad ended up on the wrong planet. Rose took me in as her own though, let me call her Mum. The reason why I have gold in my eyes is because like Rose, I had to use the time vortex to save someone I loved." Her eyes drifted to the kitchen where Briallen was attempting to calm Meg even when she was in a painful situation. Jenny smiled as she watched her hug the other woman close trying to give her some comfort. "And she was worth it, all the pain, the regeneration... She was worth it."

"You died to save her." Ianto said quietly, breaking the spell her words had cast. Jenny turned towards him, nodding. "Thank you." His words caught her off guard but she caught herself, a smile forming. "I don't know why, but thank you, for making sure she lived." Jenny nodded again, smiling brightly at him.

"Your welcome, and you'll know, soon enough." she replied, the smile only dropping slightly from her face at the hope she saw in his eyes. "Any more questions, or can we get back to the topic of getting us home? I had a date tonight."

"I have another." Gwen said, leaning forward to look at Jenny. "Well, two really. First is Brianna related to Ianto, and secondly who is Ian's mother?"

Jenny stared at her with open contempt in her eyes. "I never liked you Gwen Williams, and her name is Briallen." she said in a clipped tone.

"My name's Gwen Cooper, not Gwen Williams. Rhys and I aren't married. Not yet." she said in a hurry as though to cover something up. Jenny still stared at her coldly.

"Then to answer your question, yes Briallen is related to Ianto Jones, even if it isn't any of your business. As for Ian's mother, well lets just say she got what was coming to her and leave it at that." Jenny said, watching with some sick sort of delight as Ian burst up from his seat.

"You watch your tongue! My mother never did anything wrong! The council judged her unfairly, sending her to Gatropi." Ian fumed, coming at her. Jenny calmly pulled her sonic screw driver from her pocket pointing it squarely in his face.

"It's you that should watch your tongue. Your mother meddled with time, took you father away from his bonded just because she could, and had you. You should be thankful the high council didn't see fit to send her somewhere worse then Gatropi. Now if I were you I'd set back down before I got hurt." Ian looked down at her one more time before returning to his seat. "Now, I think story time is over. I want your help getting us back to were we belong, now."

No one said anything for a few second, simply staring at each other, or nothing at all. "I take it you have a way to travel with out the rift." Jack said standing up.

Jenny followed suite, pulling a wristband out of her pocket. "Sort of. It uses rift energy to power up, but other than that no. All I need is a bit of help calibrating were we are exactly and then calibrating our destination. It shouldn't take more than a few hours at max." She handed the band over to Jack to inspect.

"Hey! This is my vortex manipulator." Turning to look at her sharply he had definite questions in his eyes.

"Not your's exactly, Captain. This is a model made from the designs of yours. Standard issue for every Torchwood employee now, just in case a situation like this should arise." she explained, taking it back from him. "I'll need some basic equipment to get all of them on the same frequency so that we'll all end up in the same place. If Toshiko could help with that, it would make things go much more quickly."

Jack nodded turning in the opposite direction. "Tosh? You feel up to the challenge?" She nodded a bit hesitantly but got up from her place on the couch.

"I'll help too." Owen said from beside her. "It's a lot better than setting here twiddling my thumbs while thinking what a prick I am." He touched Tosh's arm gently, sharing a weak smile, before heading off towards the computers.

"All's set then. Quinn, gather everyone's manips and bring them to me. Ian, stay out of my sight if you know what's good for you." Jenny said, before heading off to work on their way home.

The three of them spent two hours huddled around Tosh's computer trying to work out exactly what was needed for their return trip. Jenny only looked up from her work when Briallen brought her fresh coffee, sharing a secret smile and a gentle touch before moving on. The calculations weren't that hard to make, at least not for Jenny, it was the sequence which was proving difficult, each manip having to be set to the exact same frequency and sequence of codes.

Running her hands over her face, she glanced out of the corner of her eye as Owen and Tosh talked quietly to each other. She almost wanted to smile at the obvious love that shown in Owen's eyes but held back, their story might turn out slightly different this time but that didn't mean it would be better. Tapping in one final code to the manip she'd been working on she gave a slight squeal of accomplishment when the correct numbers flashed in the face on the band. Jolting up from her seat she went over to the others, showing them the completed manip. "Now, once one of these is locked on, the rest will do the same." she explained, pushing a few more tabs. The others on the table top lite up at the same time. Jenny was almost jumping happily as she collected them, heading off towards the rest of her crew.

Once they had each been returned to their rightful owner they congregated where they had fist appeared. "I'd say it's been a pleasure, but it really hasn't." Jenny said as she shook hands with Jack. "But with any luck you'll forget all about what happened as soon as we leave and the time line will be preserved. Or at least that's what it says in the manual." They shared a slightly stiff laugh before Jenny returned to the group. Waving to the Torchwood crew they activated their manips. "Alright everyone, on the count of three... Three!"

A bright light filled the room where they were standing. Ianto shielded his eyes, watching as they disappeared. Once the light had dissipated he was met with something out of the ordinary. Standing there, still holding the activation button Briallen looked them in shock. "No, no, no, no!" she cried out continuing to press the button in hopes that it would work. She slowly sunk to her knees as the sobs over took her. "Please, come back, don't leave me here!" Still holding down on the button she looked at them, her face distorted in grief. "They left me."

The warm cup of coffee in her hands did little to stop the aching coldness that had set itself in her stomach. Curled up the couch in the hub she looked around as the Torchwood crew, people she knew and that were complete strangers at the same time, tried to figure out what had happened. She barely noticed as Ianto sat down next to her. "Are you alright?"

Briallen snorted into the mug she was holding but indulged him with a look. "She left me here." her words rang hollow even in her own ears but that didn't make them anymore true. "You can stop looking, you're not going to find anything to help me. I'm here till someone notices I missing. Which should be right around the time they want coffee. Or till my end, which should be in about three years, when I'm born, or not born, either way it's the end.." She tucked her head down, not really wanting to see the pity in the man's eyes.

"What difference will you birth make, you're a time traveler, it shouldn't matter." he said, his voice holding more question than statement. Briallen gave him a slightly forced smile, but it quickly fell away as she realized her own predicament.

"I'm a fixed point, a certainty in the time line. You can't have two identical fixed points occupying the same space. How Captain Harkness got away with being in England during the 1940's three times always astounded me. Of course for one of those he wasn't a fixed point, so I guess that probably made a slight difference." she explained, her voice nurtural even while her eyes stared hollowly at the table in front of her.

Ianto gently removed her mug from her hands before turning her to look at him. "I still don't understand. How are you a fixed point? Jack I understand, he can't die, but you, there shouldn't be any reason why you can't be here when your past self is born, you must have become a fixed point later." he tried to reason. Briallen shock her head at his optimism, she had never taken him for an optimist in all that she'd learned about him.

Taking his hand she smiled at him kindly. "I've always been a fixed point. From the moment I was born I had no choice. When Jenny saved my life, it complicated things a bit more. While I'd been fixed before even I had an end, that end. When she saved me I became a point forever. I love her, don't get me wrong, but I was meant to die that day, I knew that before the situation even arose. I knew even before I met her." Briallen said, smiling more so to comfort him then herself. She knew her fate now, could see it dangling at the end like a carrot. "They won't come for me, it's been longer than an hour, it's the rule. What gets left behind is left behind. I happen to be what this time. I'm involved in the events now, and there's really no going back from that."

Ianto smiled dimly at her, clasping her hand tightly. "We'll figure something out, we're Torchwood."

Briallen simply laughed and shook her head. "You know, I never took you for an optimist. In all the stories, of how brave you were, no one ever mentioned that." Ianto simply stared at her, looking closely at every detail. She knew what he was trying to find and prayed to every God she could remember that he over looked those simple things staring back at him.

He looked in her eyes, deeply, and she felt a small pain enter her chest at what would happen next. "You're my daughter." he stated, cupping the side of her face, taking in him self reflected in her.

"I'd hoped you wouldn't notice." she said, watching as the joy fell away from his face. "Not because I didn't want you to know! I never met you, you see. You died when I was a baby and well, I never knew you. I got stories from Tosh though, and when Rose would come to visit. She said she always loved you best of the Torchwood crew." An affectionate smile spread across her face as she remembered growing up alongside Meg in the Torchwood hub.

"What about your mother? Why didn't she raise you?" The smile left her face as soon as he'd asked the first question. This really wasn't something she wanted to discuss.

"I don't have a mother." At his confused look she sighed, wonder how to word this. "What I do have... are a Tad," she squeezed his hand as she smiled up at him. "And a Father." The words left her in a flurry of breaths, unsure of how he would handle news.

He stared at her for a moment, blinking rapidly to take in the information. "But, we must of had a sergeant, some one close." he said, as though he was once again trying to rationalize everything. Briallen just shook her head sadly, the smile vanishing from her face.

"No, you didn't. My father had slightly different genetics, that allowed him to carry me to term." Tears welled in her eyes as she saw understanding dawn in his. Bitting back a sob she closed her eyes to calm herself. "But by then Ian's mother was well along with him, and he wanted nothing to do with me. So when I was born the one fatherly act he followed, was that he named me. Then he handed me off to you and never wanted anything to do with me again. You kept the name, sorta. He named me Rose."

Tears had started to fall down both of their faces by now. He pulled her close into a hug, holding back his own sobs while she released her's. "Briallen means primrose." he whispered against her hair, stroking her back lightly.

Pulling back she looked at him, taking in all the things she'd memorized from photos. "You were a good Tad. You left lots of pictures of us together, I looked at them every day!" she said, pleading in her voice. She wanted him to know she loved him, was proud of him.

Moving her hair out of her face he smiled down at her, his eyes red rimmed. "Did he take you in, once I was gone? Was he a good dad?"

Briallen laughed bitterly, her voice cracking slightly from strain. "I went to live with Tosh. You didn't have any relatives, and he didn't want me. So she raised me alongside Meg till I was old enough for school. She sent me to a boarding school in London, to 'further my education' in ways she claimed she couldn't here. I don't blame her. I wasn't her responsibility and she had Meg to look after. I was there till I finished, the occasional summer spent here in Cardiff. I went to college, but afterwards I couldn't find a job so I came back to what I knew, Torchwood." Her tears had dried while she talked, but the weariness didn't leave her face.

"He gave me a job, after some convincing. Said I wasn't qualified enough for field work so he gave me the open administrators position. It wasn't the best job, picking up this place, and making the coffee, but I had a purpose and enough money to keep myself alive." Ianto pulled her into another hug, seemingly more so for himself than for her.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I left you alone in the world. I'm sorry he didn't take care of you." he whispered as he held her, rocking her gently back and forth.

"Not your fault I wasn't good enough for him. Not with Ian there, his perfect little son." she said through her tears. He nodded, but held onto her anyway, almost as though he was afraid she'd disappear.

"Um, Ianto?" They moved apart to see Gwen staring at them. "Hi, sorry to interrupt but Tosh said she might of found something." Standing up from the couch Briallen teetered slightly, her limps feeling weak. Gwen made to catch her but she pulled away sharply.

"Don't touch me." she ground out, moving around Gwen and towards Tosh's station. Wrapping her arms around herself for support she looked at the woman she once considered family. "You found something?"

She couldn't keep the hope from her eyes and voice as Tosh turned around with her manip in hand. All hope died when she saw the look on the other woman's face. "I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do. There's no damage to any of the parts, it's simply like it stopped working. Like something made it just stop." Tosh apologized, handing it back to her.

Briallen stared at it, it's face still the ready blue needed for travel. "Sonic." she murmured to herself, looking at it closely. When Tosh looked at her she simply nodded her head in dismissal. It wasn't their business if her lover had stranded her here. "So I'll be staying then, at least for now. I've got three years give or take before... well before." She shared a glance with Ianto as he made his way past, sorrow clinging to them both like coats.

"Well, I don't see why you can't stay longer than that." Jack intervened, a broad smile on his face. Briallen barely looked at him, the rolling nausea in her stomach returning.

"Longer won't be necessary Captain Harkness. Two fixed points can not exist in the same place. I will be gone in three years. My simply being here may negate my birth anyway, it won't happen because the circumstances may never happen now. When my date of conception comes, I will cease to be. It's why there is no retrieval prodical in our orders. If something is left behind, time will deal with it. In one way or another." She fondly stroked her manip, her last relic of home, before slipping it back on to her wrist. "As for staying at Torchwood, that isn't an option either. I wasn't qualified enough for field work back home, so I highly doubt I will be here."

Jack's face scrunched up slightly as he looked at her. "Who told you that you weren't qualified for field work? Everyone at Torchwood is qualified after a little training."

Briallen looked down at the floor for a moment before looking up quickly, a broad fake smile on her face. "You did, sir." she replied, pulling absently at a string on her sweater. "I was the administrator back home, but you already have one of those, sir, so you have no need for another. I suppose the easiest route would be retcon, and then leave me wondering in Cardiff. I should be taken to a shelter of some kind and from there I can live over the next few years."

She glanced up to see Ianto standing near the kitchen, white as a ghost. "Jack!" he cried, drawing everyone's attention to him. "You can't do that! She can have my job, I'll do field work full time, just please don't do this!" he almost cried out, sorrow filling his very frame.

Jack took a step towards him, a tentative hand touching his shoulder. "Ianto? Yan?" he asked softly as the other man began to shack. She had never seen her father so gentle in all her life as he was in that moment with her Tad, his arms wrapped tightly around the other man.

"Please Jack not that. Not for her. She can't just die in a ditch somewhere, alone! Not our daughter!" Briallen almost regretted telling him everything in that moment. She had learned to handle the rejection of her father once, but she wasn't sure she could handle it again. Looking up at them again, she saw the surprise of Jack's face, and a little piece of her died inside all over again when she saw it slip behind an indifferent mask.

Forcing a smile she look a step towards them. "It's alright, Tad. I won't be in any pain, and it's Torchwood protocol. I won't even remember I ever had anyone to hold my hand when it's time to go." she tried to sooth as she watched him cry. Taking him into a hug she felt her own eyes begin to fill again. "Please don't cry. It's better this way. Maybe now you won't have to die. Maybe you'll have a new family, with out me and the pain I caused. Maybe now you'll have a chance to be with him, really. Maybe he won't leave you for her, and you can try to have that family together. See? Everything will be better once I'm gone."

Still holding his tightly she looked over his shoulder at Jack. Pulling away she gave him one last wane smile before turning to Jack. "You know I'd always hoped that one day you'd love me, tell me you were proud even if I was only the tea girl." She stopped, collecting her thoughts slightly. Pushing back the tears she let a brilliant smile over take her face. "Guess we'll never know now, will we?"

A glint of something passed in his eyes just for a second. "You're my daughter." he stated, his face still a cool mask.

Briallen laughed to her self slightly. "Since the day I was born." she replied, a far off look in her eyes. "I was born here actually, right in the autopsy bay. Tad was there Tosh told me, worrying about the kitchen. Then they heard me cry and came running. You named me Rose." She stopped for a moment, her throat suddenly thick. "And then you handed me to Tad and never looked back. I was raised here till I went to school. Like to think Tad would be proud of the way Tosh tried to bring me up." She stared him straight in the eye in that moment, and was surprised to see a tear there.

"Why?" he asked, his voice still stoic even as his mask began to crumble slightly.

She sighed as she played with a lock of hair. "Why did you have me? Why did Tosh raise me? Why what?" she snapped the last bonds on her restante gone. She didn't care anymore, her life was very soon going to be blinked out of existence.

"All of it, why?" he barked at her, his anger rising in his eyes.

"Because I wasn't the only child you had. Gwenny over there," she said pointing at the woman across the room. "Meddled with time, and got her self pregnant by you. You wanted that son, Ian, more than you wanted me. So you gave me to Tad to raise." She stopped to take a deep breath, looking at the expressions on everyone's faces before continuing. "Only Tad died, cause that's what people at Torchwood do, they die. You didn't want me so Tosh took me in for a bit, sent me off to school when I was six, and I barely saw you after that. Then I came to work here, and well, we can all see how well that turned out." The bitterness had seeped into her voice even though she'd tried to keep it at bay. It was like she was fifteen all over again, eavesdropping on conversations while visiting Cardiff. The pain seemed fresh even though she'd buried it deep over a decade before. Heaving a sigh she let her shoulders slump slightly.

The quiet was deafening as she stood there, staring at the one man she both hated and loved the most. Seconds ticked by, slowly but noticeably as she just stood there, her mind giving up on understanding the situation. "Look, I going to have a smoke. When you decide what to do with me, let me know." she said before turning towards the cog door and disappearing out of the hub.

Perched on the railing Briallen let her cigarette dangle loosely from her fingers as she stared at the worn picture in her hand. "You look happy." a voice said from behind her. Keeping her face static she took a long draw from her cigarette.

"We were." she replied as she exhaled. Tracing a thumb over Jenny's face a far off look worked it's way into her eyes. "We'd gone to the pier on our day off. Meg was there with us, so was Tori. A girl's day out, they called it." A fond smile worked it's way across her lips as she thought of how perfect they'd been that day, simply having fun and acting normal. "So," She pulled another long draw as she turned to face him. "Figure out what to do with me yet?"

Ianto shifted nervously under her gaze. "They're still arguing about it. Gwen wants to retcon you for sure, Owen and Tosh are arguing over protocol and Jack is just watching it all with that look." he sighed as he leaned against the railing. Briallen nodded before turning to stare at the plas. Not even diverting her gaze she held up her packet of cigarettes in offering. "I don't smoke."

She turned her head slightly, one eyebrow quirked. "Bull. I found a pack hidden in your favorite jacket years ago." she replied, shacking the pack at him slightly. Sighing he took one, tipping his head in thanks as she flicked her lighter and he inhaled deeply. Exhaling slowly he looked at the cigarette then at her. Laughing slightly she took her own drag. "Cloves. Mandatory ingredient in the things now. Makes them smoother going down, and ten times more deadly." Shrugging his shoulders he took his own drag before turning his attention towards the plas.

"I glad." he finally said after a moment. She didn't turn to look at him, just staring straight ahead, giving him the room to say what he wanted. "That I got to know you, if only slightly. It's more then I ever could have hoped for."

Letting her long brown hair fall in her face she flicked her cigarette. "So am I." she whispered. Neither said anything else as they sat their, staring out over the plas as the sky began to torn golden with sunset.

It was past dark when they returned to the hub, stopping quickly in the tourist office as Ianto pulled her into a fierce hug before they headed down stairs. Stopping just on the other side of the door Briallen stared at the collected group, running her eyes over their postures, and expressions. Widening her stance as they turned their attention towards her she crossed her arms in a defiant motion. "So?" The single word hung in the air, none in the room moving so much as an inch.

Tosh stepped forwards just slightly, her eyes looking bloodshot and her face pale. "Torchwood policies are clear on this." she said, her voice more stern than her appearance. Briallen let her stance loosen slightly, she'd known this was coming so she shouldn't be surprise. "But," They looked at each other sharply and Tosh straightened a bit. "This exact situation has never happened before, and Torchwood has no protocol for long term memory wipes for none Torchwood employees. You aren't a Torchwood employee at this exact moment there is no action that we can take that would lead to your memory being wiped."

Briallen nodded along, her brain jumping from outcome to outcome. "What happens to me than?" she found herself asking a bit unconsciously.

Tosh glanced around at her coworkers, her shoulders slumping just slightly. "We haven't gotten that far. But we've decided not to leave here till it is figured out." Taking a step back she leaned against her desk as though their conversation had taken every thing out of her. Briallen didn't say anything, nor did she scream like she wanted to. Instead she calmly walked over to the kitchen and began to prepare coffee. If they were going to stay all night, they had at least be awake enough to decide her future clearly.

By the time the coffee was done the group had divided up, Jack and Ianto in Jack's office, Owen and Tosh over near her computer, and Gwen scowling from the couch. Placing the mugs on the tray she let her eyes move to his office, watching as an angry expression passed over Ianto's face as he pointed a finger at Jack then down towards where she was standing. Diverting her gaze she placed the last one on the tray.

Walking calmly over to were Owen and Tosh were seated she gently cleared her throat. They looked up in surprise, but she merely gave a small smile and handed them the coffee. When she made to set away Tosh placed a gentle hand on her arm to stop her. "I... I was wondering if you could tell us something." she both stated and asked at the same time. Briallen nodded, turning fully towards them. "It's just... Why did he leave if he kept coming back?"

Briallen closed her eyes for a moment, her mind shifting back to the conversation she had heard when she was ten. "He died." The words left her mouth before she even thought of the affect they would have on the people in front of her. Cursing slightly as she took in their looks she shook her head. "Something was used to bring him back, I don't know what, and I never asked. What ever it was only brought back most of him, he was still mostly dead. You were pregnant at the time, again I didn't ask the specifics but apparently he didn't know. He left and Meg was born seven months later, give or take." She shrugged her shoulders honestly not knowing if what she'd shared would help them. The whole thing was a paradox to begin with, and could likely change the entire flow of history.

They nodded just the same, sharing a look that she couldn't understand. Backing away she walked by the couch leaving a slightly cold mug on the table without so much as a glance at Gwen. Making her way up to the office she listened to the shouting from with in before knocking slightly. When the voices lowered slightly she opened the door. Jack and Ianto stood at opposite ends of the room, neither looking at the other. Walking straight ahead she placed the two mugs on the desk, not really looking at either man. Turning towards the door she'd almost made it there when she heard Jack say her name. Looking at him with out fully turning she waited for him to say something.

"You have his eyes." he spoke so softly she almost missed that he'd said anything at all. Turning towards him fully she held the tray to her like a shield.

"You are far too occupied with eyes, sir." she answered, her voice clipped but not unpolite. She had learned her role well over the three years she had worked at Torchwood. She had learned how exactly to deal with him, even when noone else had a clue.

A small smile seemed to form just at the corner of his lips but it didn't grow any further. They stood there for a moment, staring at each other like they were in some old western movie, neither sure about who should make the next move. Shifting slightly Jack looked her up and down, as though he were looking for something out of place. "I've made my decision, and I'll be telling the group in a few minutes." Nodding a bit stiffly she walked out of the office with out so much as a glance backwards.

Just as he'd said, Jack and Ianto exited the office only a few moments after she had. Setting quietly in one of the chairs she watched their every move, knowing that her fate was entirely in their hands. Ianto never took his eyes off of her as he went to stand behind Jack. "I've come to a decision as Torchwood leader. If you don't agree, I really don't care." His eyes shot to Gwen for a moment before returning to the rest of the group.

He opened his mouth to continue when a strange and intense whirling sound began to echo through out the hub. Shooting up out of her chair Briallen looked around frantically, knowing fully well what was causing the sound. Movement caught her eye near the cog door as a large blue box materialized there. A brilliant smile broke out on her lips as she rushed forwards, not even waiting for the door to open. She was met by a hug as Jenny stepped out of the door.

"You came back." she whispered against her shoulder as they held each other tightly. The other woman merely beamed down at her before catching her lips in a fierce kiss. Pulling back a confused looked over took Briallen's face. "How did you..."

Jenny laughed as she twirled her around. "Dad stopped off in Cardiff for a fill up, so I borrowed the car for a bit." she replied before peppering her with kisses.

Briallen pulled back to give her a look. "He never lets you drive the Tardis, not since that time you almost crashed into the Thames during that Seraphim invasion." Jenny just smiled, though she kept her mouth shut.

"Come one, we've got to get home. I seem to remember someone promising a very special date for our anniversary." Jenny said, trying to pull her towards the Tardis. Briallen hesitated, turning towards where Ianto was standing. Even if she did want to spend fun alone time with her lover, she also wanted to tell her Tad bye just once more. Sending a look steeped in meaning towards Jenny, she pulled way fully and headed towards him.

Stopping just a few steps away she looked him over once more, reciting it all to memory. "I'm really glad I met you." She pulled him into a fierce hug before the emotions could over whelm her. After a minute she took a step back, kissed him on the cheek, and walked back over to Jenny. Standing in the door, holding Jenny's hand tightly she glanced back one last time, then waved. Ianto returned it even though his own hands were shaking. Smiling a brilliant smile they disappeared within the Tardis. The sound filled the room again as it dematerialized right before their eyes. Falling back onto the couch Ianto felt tears roll down his face. He had just lost the most important woman in his life. Again.

fin.


	2. Unexpected Visitors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood, and and every thing else in the cannon is the property of BBC, and it's collected creaters and writers. I'm only borrowing.

Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood, and and every thing else in the cannon is the property of BBC, and it's collected creaters and writers. I'm only borrowing.

AN: So, insomnia made me decide that continuing to add to Unexpected Visitors would be a good idea. This also gave me the chance for my first posted attempt at a sex scene of any kind. Don't worry, it's not explicit, I was just testing the waters using characters that weren't my own. As for everything else, it's just a little peice after UV. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and please review.

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And a bottle of wine

The hours since Briallen had disappeared in the strange blue box had passed by quickly. Tosh had left the hub by midnight, her feet dragging with fatigue. She had made it back to her flat in record time, kicking off her heels by the door before shuffling into the kitchen. Rummaging through the fridge she pulled out a bottle of wine from the back before closing the door with her hip. Practically falling onto the couch she ran a hand over her face before turning her attention to the bottle. She'd barely gotten the corkscrew into the cork when a soft but firm knock filled the room. Sighing she placed the bottle on the table and pulled herself from the couch.

Of all the people she had expected to see on the other side of her door she had to admit she hadn't expected Owen. His shirt was slightly ruffled, his hair in a similar fashion giving an over all appearance of disarray. Not even bothering to say a word she stepped aside, giving him entrance into her flat. Turning she walked back to her couch, barely paying attention to the soft click of her lock. Plucking the bottle from the table Owen quickly opened it, before plopping down next to her, bottle in hand. Taking a quick drink he passed it off with a slight smile. Tosh accepted it with a wane smile of her own before downing a large gulp.

Bottle still in hand she turned to look at him. "So, interesting day." she said, her voice shaky and nervous. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye but could only manage a weak shrug. She laughed slightly, taking another drink. Leaning back against the couch a soft smile crossed her lips. Shaking her head she just closed her eyes letting the alcohol work it's way through her. If he wasn't going to bring up the subject than neither was she.

They sat there in silence, casually passing the bottle back and forth, hoping the wine would ease the tension of the day. The bottle emptied quickly, and Owen stood up with no prompt to grab another from the fridge. When he turned back towards the living room the sight that greeted him was not what he expected. Tosh had curled up into a ball on the couch, her head resting on her knees as she gently shook. She jumped slightly as he placed a hand on her shoulder, turning her tear stained face up to look at him. "Sorry." she muttered, forcing a smile as she wiped away her tears.

He shrugged again as he brushed a tear from her cheek. "Nothing to be sorry for." he replied as he took his seat beside her once again.

She laughed slightly as she turned towards him. "How is it you that you can be such a bastard when we're in a group, but the moment we're alone your so gentle?" she asked more so to herself than him. He didn't answer, instead focusing on opening the new bottle. She gave a small snort, turning her attention towards her shirt hem instead. Feeling a brush against her arm she gently took the bottle her offered, already feeling a bit light headed but wishing to further kill the thoughts in her head.

Continuing their earlier routine of pass the bottle tosh let her mind roam, even as she tried to drown all of what she'd been feeling. Glancing out of the corner of her eye at Owen she smiled fondly. Even if the future that had been revealed to them never happened she had the knowledge of what could have been, of a beautiful daughter she shared with him. Giggling a bit as she took a drink she noticed him staring at her. Tilting her head in question as she handed over the bottle a smile broke out on his smile. Before she even knew what was happening he had leaned down to press his lips on hers.

She let the sensation of it all flow over her, the taste and smell of him, the feel of his hands gripping tightly to her upper arms. Her eyes almost rolled back as his tongue gently tasted her bottom lip. Their tongues danced together in a way she'd never experienced before, sending her to a new level of excess. Pulling back slightly she looked at him through hazed eyes. Standing he pulled her to her feet, no paying attention to the confused look on her face. "I want to try." he said softly as he ran his thumb over the back of her hand.

Tosh felt herself nodding as he began to guide her towards the bed room. Stopping just outside the door she pulled back from him slightly. "I'm not Gwen." she said, hugging herself.

He looked at her, his face neutral while his eyes burned. "I know." His hand found hers again, dragging her attention from the sinking feeling in her stomach.

A soft smile crossed her face for a split second before her mind moved on. "I'm not Katie either." The simple statement hung in the air. She didn't expect him to ask how she knew, or even what she thought she did, but she stood still all the same.

She closed her eyes as he pressed a gentle kiss against her forehead. "I know that too. Your Toshiko Sato, and that's exactly who I want to try for." he whispered against her. A small worked it's way across her face as he took her hand again, leading her into the bed room. Closing the door quietly behind them she allowed her self to be lead towards her bed.

His fingers made fast work of her cloths, pealing back the layers to leave her exposed to his wondering hands, tracing every inch of her body. She returned the favor, slipping his leather jacket from his shoulders, followed by his shirt. Stopping to place a kiss on his collar bone, she looked up at him through her eye lashes, allowing him to drag her into another kiss. The rest of his cloths where discarded in a flurry of activity, leaving nothing between them.

She found herself on the bed, lost in the sensations he was sending through her body. Every thing blended together, his lips and hands roaming over every inch of her body, bringing wave after wave of passion. The feeling of him inside of her almost took her breath away, as cliqued as it sounded in her own head.

Afterwards as she lay there staring at the ceiling a found smile worked it's way on to her face. "You didn't come." His soft statement was muffled slightly by the first edge of sleep.

Laughing she rolled over to face him, placing a gentle kiss on his lips. "No, but I had fun." she replied, snuggling closely to his side. Giving a bark of laughter in response he rolled over, taking her into his arms. Leaning against him she kissed his shoulder. "There's always next time."

"I like the sound of that." She pulled back slightly, lifting an eyebrow. "Next time. That sounds really good." Giggling she buried her head in his chest, nodding. Lifting her chin to meet her large, glowing eyes he kissed her. "How's now sound?" Laughing as he grabbed her around the waist, rolling them over. Staring up at him, a large grin on her face she wrapped her arms around him. Kissing him with all the emotion she'd held inside for the last two years, she finally felt whole. In that instant the future didn't matter, she was more than content to enjoy the ride there.

fins.


	3. Option B

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood, or any thing from the Whoverse. They belong to BBC Wales and many other people who aren't me.

Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood, or any thing from the Whoverse. They belong to BBC Wales and many other people who aren't me.

AN: Yea, another continuation! I'm writing this mostly out of my dislike of Gwen. No, seriously, I hate her. Thankfully other people have commented similarly so here you go. I will be continueing this even further with more one shots that are interconnected. Anyway, enjoy the story, and please review.

* * *

Option B

Jack had shut himself up in his office shortly after Briallen had left in the Tardis. Ianto had tried his best not to notice, but the slightest movement from the office caught his attention every time. Giving Tosh a wane smile as she passed, he tried to keep his mind on the task of cleaning up the hub. Placing the mugs on the tray he couldn't suppress his sigh any longer. It had been a long and trying day, and from the look of the hub, it was going to be a long night yet before he could finally curl up and try to sleep.

Washing and placing each mug back in its place he set his attention on cleaning up the general disarray of the place. Picking up some strewn papers from the floor he noticed Tosh preparing to leave. "Leaving already?" he joked as he straightened her paper work.

Tosh laughed openly, shaking her head. "Yes, well, I've had quiet enough excitement for one day. I suppose I'll go home to catch a bit of rest before tomorrow." she said, slipping her purse on to her should her. "Good evening, Ianto." Giving one last smile she exited the hub, the sound of her heels fading slowly. Letting the smile drop from his face, Ianto turned his attention back towards making some order out of the paperwork that lay there.

He caught a bit of movement from the autopsy bay a moment later, Owen exiting, shrugging on his jacket as he went. He stopped for a moment as Ianto straightened, shifting almost nervously. "See you in the morning." he grumbled before walking briskly past Ianto and out the door. Not even bothering to put thought into what had just happened he continued with the task at hand.

Once the main area had been tidied, and the report of the incident typed and ready he made his way towards Jack's office. Knocking firmly on the door he waited a moment before entering. Picking up the cold mug from the desk he replaced it with a new one before placing the folder on the desk. "If you don't need anything else, sir, I'll be leaving for the evening." Not even waiting for a reply he turned to make his way from the office.

"Ianto." He stopped at just that single word, his eyes closing as an involuntary shudder ran through him. Looking at Jack he'd barely opened his mouth to reply when the door was shoved open.

"Jack, we need to talk." Gwen said, her face set. Ianto felt bile rise in his throat at her mere voice. She was the cause of everything, all the grief he'd experienced from questioning Jack's true affections, all the pain he had yet to know. Feeling another small piece of his heart wither and die as Jack turned his full attention to Gwen he bowed his head in defeat. Not even waiting for either to acknowledge him he exited the office.

Jack set his jaw as he watched his retreating form, trying to keep his anger at bay as a smug glint appeared in Gwen's eyes. "Gwen, I don't think now is really the time for this." he said as he picked up the report Ianto had left on his desk. "There will be a briefing tomorrow and retcon will be administered then, unless there is a way around causing a paradox without using it." Flipping through the neat typed pages a found smile appeared on his face, his mind drifting to Ianto. Glancing up at her again the smile dimmed from his eyes even as it remained on his face. "Why don't you go home? We'll talk about all of this in the morning." Not even waiting for her reply he retook his seat and began to look over the report in depth.

He still felt her presence minutes later but he really wasn't in the mood for games. Looking up at her with slowly clouding eyes his lips thinned into a frown. "Was there something else that you needed?" he asked, though he already knew what it was that she wanted to talk about. She moved to stand in front of his desk, her crossed arms falling to her sides, her demeanor changing entirely.

"I want to talk about what happened today." she said, her voice innocent sounding even with the note of force she placed behind it. Setting the report to the side, he laced his fingers together before looking up at her.

"What exactly about today needs to be discussed before the briefing tomorrow? I haven't even had time to look over Ianto's report in full yet." His words were casual enough but the meaning behind them was not overlooked by either person in the room.

Gwen fidgeted for a moment under his intense gaze before her face grew angry. "We have a son, Jack! You saw him, here, today! How can you not want to talk about that?" her voice rose in anger, though his face remained placid. She took a deep breath but the anger didn't leave her face.

Still setting exactly as he had been before her outbreak, he looked at her with darkening eyes. "I'm am very much aware of that, Gwen. I am also aware that you in some way manipulated time to make that happen. Not only that, but it was enough meddling to have the high council interfere." he replied, his voice cold, and detached. Leaning back slightly in his chair his gaze intensified. "That wasn't the only thing we learned today either. We had our entire futures lane out before us, and your son wasn't my only child."

Gwen snorted before he'd even finished talking. "You can't be serious, Jack! That girl was lying. Two men can't have a baby! You couldn't have given birth to her. She was just trying to make me look bad, because my having Ian stopped you from playing happy family with her real father." she spat out, her body stiffening. She was not about to be beaten by a little girl who hadn't even been born yet.

In a split second Jack's face blazed with anger, frightening her enough to take a step backwards. "You shouldn't be calling anyone else a liar, especially given what we learned today." he spoke calmly and softly, but the fury in his voice reverberated throughout the room. "As for giving birth to her, it is not an impossibility. In fact it's even more likely than me getting you pregnant. She was very much my daughter, Gwen, never make the mistake in assuming otherwise again." He pushed him self up from his chair to look her squarely in the eyes. Jack almost revealed in the fright that shot through them at his movement. Gwen had stepped out of bounds too many times since she had come to work for Torchwood, especially during his absence, but he was not going to let her take control of this situation anymore.

Gwen's own anger seemed to flare up at his words. "Jack, you can't possibly want that." Her voice was almost condescending but the concern she'd placed on her face off set it just slightly. Taking a step closer to him she looked up at him through her eyelashes. "You heard her, Jack. You gave her to Ianto as soon as she was born, because I was pregnant, because you wanted to be with me and our son. You didn't want her, Jack, she said it herself."

Jack's jaw twitched at her words, and the sheer nerve she displayed in them. "So now you know what I want, huh, Gwen? You know exactly what I was thinking when I had to hand over my own flesh and blood?" he practically spat the words out, for once letting his anger get the better of him. He had trained him self over the years to always be indifferent, no matter the situation, but with each passing second it was becoming harder to keep it all in check. Flexing his fingers to try and calm himself she stared down at her, swallowing his anger.

Seeming to collect her thoughts Gwen circled the desk in a few steps, coming to a stop right beside him. "Jack," she said, reaching out to take his hand. He let her do it, though he wasn't really sure why, but he was always willing to forgive the people in his life, whether they deserved it or not. Gwen seemed to be encouraged when he didn't pull away, because she took a step closer. "Jack, can't you see the future we could have? We could be happy. If you choice that future now, no one has to get hurt. You can choice me and Ian right now. It'll be better for every one."

Jack pulled back his hand faster than she could blink, his face growing cold once again. His mind was racing at the simple implication of her words. She honestly expected him to choice her then and there, to leave Ianto behind and have a future with her. His stomach rolled at the thought of being with anyone but Ianto, to have children with anyone else. Staring at her, he took a step back. "Well, PC Cooper, that's some offer you just laid on the table." he said, his face neutral except for the slight smile that curved on his lips. "And, I think you've made my decision all that much easier."

Turning towards his desk, he pulled out a small tin. Flicking it open he pulled out a single white pill. "I'm sure you know what this is." Her eyes widened as he showed her the retcon he held between his thumb and index finger. Placing the tin back on his desk he turned towards her fully. "This little gem, is the solution to every thing. By tomorrow morning, this will all be forgotten."

Gwen scoffed slightly, her hand moving to her hips. "You know that won't work, Jack. Retcon didn't work last time, and I've been working here too long anyway." she said, a glint of victory in her eyes. It lessened slightly when Jack didn't back down.

"You're right, it didn't work last time. But this," he said, holding up the pill again. "This isn't the regular stuff. No, this is for emergencies. It will wipe the last year and a half from your mind. Tomorrow, you'll wake up to being just PC Copper again, and that's all you'll be. We can't have you here anymore." Gwen took another step back, fear returning to her eyes.

"You can't. I'm an asset to this team. Who'll be your liaison to the police with out me?" she said, her voice taking on a panicked not. She wasn't about to go back to being just Gwen Copper again.

"You stopped being an asset to this team when you stepped foot in this office and tried to corner me into making a decision based on information we shouldn't even have. Haven't you learned anything? If what we learned is true, and you remain here, you will cause those events anyway. I'm eliminating the problem at it's source. If you leave Torchwood, the paradox with be lessened. By tomorrow evening no one at this office will even remember who you are. That's Torchwood protocol for wayward employees." As he spoke his voice became more firm, leaving no doubt that his actions would be followed through.

Gwen's eyes took on a new fire as she stepped closer. "I won't take it. I won't take the retcon. You can't make me." she said, spitting her words into his face.

Palming the pill Jack sighed. "Fine." Gwen's eyes widened at his words, but a smug smile returned to her lips. She knew that he had feelings for her, and now it was proven as he moved to return to pill. "If you don't want to do it that way, we will have to discuss what's to be done for damage control." Motioning towards the door he followed her out, and down into the hub. The suggestion to get a drink slipped in quickly, and she readily agreed, heading out of the hub and towards a quiet little pub. Jack had offered to get the drinks, and she'd smiled, nodding along. With any luck, the conversation they were about to have would make Jack realize that it was her, and not Ianto that he had a future with.

Sipping her drink slowly the conversation was slow, but precise, Jack taking time to explain exactly what needed to be done the next day, even if it was slightly masked to confuse onlookers. Jack sipped his water slowly as he watched the woman across from him hold her head lightly, and laugh about drinking too fast. He forced a smile, but let is slip little by little as her eyes became glassy and unfocused before her head slumped forward. Glancing over at the bartender he made a slight hand signal before dropping a few large bills on to the table top. Come morning, Gwen Cooper wouldn't even remember that Torchwood was real. Making his way back towards the hub Jack couldn't even force him self to be sorry.

fin.


	4. What I meant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood. It belongs to BBC Wale, and whoever else that isn't me. And I make no money from this.

Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood. It belongs to BBC Wale, and whoever else that isn't me. And I make no money from this.

AN: Yeay insomnia! If it weren't for you I would be sleeping right now instead of posting this. Anyway, the latest section of the story done! I'd like to thank every one who left such amazing, and lengthy reviews. I love it when people care enough to write more than a sentence. Having said that, I hope this shot meets your expectations. Thanks to everyone for the wonderful support and happy reading! Oh, and now renamed!

* * *

What I meant

Ianto had made his way home shortly after leaving Jack's office. He wasn't in any mood for what he would have seen if he had stuck around much longer. Unlocking the door to his tiny, but well kept apartment made some of the weariness leave him. At least now he could get a good nights sleep, and hope to be retconed in the morning. Tossing his suite jacket in the general direction of the couch he made his way into the kitchen and pulled a beer from the fridge. Leaning against the counter he twisted off the top before taking a long drink.

Sighing, he held the cool glass against his forehead, willing his headache to go away. Placing the bottle on the counter he loosened his tie, his fingers absently running over the silk. Jack had given it to his shortly after returning from his trip with the Doctor. He hadn't explained what the occasion was, simply pulling it out of a drawer late one night while they were in his room. An almost nostalgic smile crossed his lips as he thought about it. He had thanked Jack thoroughly that night, and wore the tie only on special occasions ever since.

The smile fell from his lips in a split second when he remembered exactly why he had chosen the tie that morning. Today, or rather yesterday he realized, had been the one year anniversary of when they had started to be together. A bitter laugh escaped him as he thought about it. His entire world had been torn apart on the one day that should have been his happiest with Jack. Scowling he brought the bottle to his mouth in one swift movement, gulping down half the bottle. Kicking off his shoes as he passed through the living room he stopped suddenly, hearing a slight shuffle outside the door. Pausing a moment longer he didn't hear anything. Moving to the door he set the deadbolt and made his way to the bathroom.

His hour long shower had done little but redden his skin and give him too long to let his mind wander. Making his way back into his bedroom he dressed quickly before setting down heavily onto his bed. Picking up his now warm beer he downed the rest of it. Staring at the empty bottle he sighed deeply, pulling himself up. Dropping the bottle into his recycling bin he rummaged through the fridge for a moment before shutting the door in disgust. He stared at the coffee maker for a moment before deciding against more caffeine.

He had almost decided to finish off the rest of the beer in his fridge when a soft knock echoed from the living room. Cursing under his breath, he was half tempted to leave what ever drunken slag that had stumbled to his door step out there. After the third knock he finally pulled him self away from the counter and towards the door. Jerking it open the insult he'd prepared died on his lips. Jack stood there, hands stuffed in the pockets of his great coat, looking almost sheepishly through his bangs.

All shock receded a few moments later, anger taking it's place. Crossing his arms he waited for Jack to say something. Their eyes locked, Ianto forcing all of this anger into that one look. Jack, for the most part, seemed unfazed, running a hand through his hair as he laughed quietly to himself. "Mind if I come in?" As soon as he'd asked the question, Ianto was tempted to slam the door in his face and go to bed. Against that, and his better judgement, he stepped out of the way, motioning Jack into his living room.

Standing in front of the door, neither made to move further into the room, or look at the other. Crossing his arms in defense again, Ianto sighed before turning to look at Jack. "Was there some thing you needed that couldn't wait till tomorrow, sir?" he asked, leaning against the wall. Jack turned towards him, his face static. Ianto almost laughed at how much of Briallen he saw in him in that moment, but bit it back. He was going to keep the memories of his daughter close to himself as long as possible, even from her own father.

Ianto's attention turned back towards Jack as the other man moved closer to him. "We need to talk, Ianto." The seconds ticked by as Ianto simply stared at him, wondering if he had truly uttered those words. Shaking his head, he tried to dispel the thoughts. He would hear Jack out even if he didn't want to. Nodding his head again, he motioned towards the couch. Jack sat down opposite Ianto, his greatcoat flowing out around him. "I know today has been difficult, Ianto. We were told things that were hard for us to hear. But we have to focus on the future."

Ianto snorted slightly, running his hands over his face wearily. "Stiff upper lip then, sir." he retorted, his stomach sinking. He may not know exactly what had been said after he left Jack's office, but the picture was becoming clearer with each passing second. "I suppose then that retcon will not be administered at the briefing."

Jack shook his head, looking at Ianto closely. "No. We have to remember so that we assure a time loop happens instead of a full paradox. By remembering we will be able to prepare information to keep the time line flowing. There is no way that I can think of, to stop them from coming back here to begin with." he explained, sighing slightly.

Ianto nodded slightly, resting his head on his hands. "So it's been decided then. How everything will play out?" he asked quietly, not daring to pull his eyes away from the carpet.

"It has." At his conformation, Ianto felt another part of his insides shrivel. He had hoped Jack would spare him the loss of his own child but apparently Jack had thought otherwise. Nodding slowly, Ianto curled in on himself further. Nothing mattered any more.

"If that is what you think is best, sir." he answered, sigh deeply. Finally mustering enough courage to look at him, Ianto's heart shattered at the smile he saw on Jack's face. Pushing it aside he attempted to focus on Jack's happiness, of the future happiness he would have because Ianto had been selfless. "I wish you joy, sir."

Jack cocked his head to the side slightly as his grin widened. "Thanks, Yan, but it's just not me that this works for." he replied, his eyes glowing. Ianto forced a smile at the use of the nickname, even though he cringed inside. Of course everyone would be happy with the arrangement. Gwen could now have Jack like she had wanted since her first day. Jack could have his son, and his future with Gwen. Even Tosh and Owen got a chance to see what they could have together. No, the only person left out of the 'happily ever afters' was Ianto. He got to set back and watch, to go back to being the tea boy, once and for all.

Standing stiffly, he inclined his head slightly. "If that is all, sir, I would like to get some rest tonight." he said politely as he forced yet another smile. Jack frowned as he too stood, a slightly confused look over taking his face.

"Well, I was kinda hoping, given that every thing is settled now, that I could spend the night." He smiled down at Ianto as he rocked slightly on his feet. Ianto stopped still as he stared at Jack in complete shock. He had come here to tell him the decision had been made, and know he was asking to have sex with him.

"I don't think that would be appropriate, Jack. Not given what you just told me." he reasoned, even as he wanted to give in. The last thing he needed was to complicate things any more then they already were.

Jack chuckled lightly, as though he'd finally gotten some old jock, before taking at step towards him. Reaching out to cup his cheek he forced their eyes to meet. "Yan," he began, a soft smile pulling at the corner of his lips. "I love you." The words floated in the air for a moment before Ianto could even consider that they were real.

Staring at him blankly he couldn't even force himself to respond. Jack had never been one for words of affection, and to hear him so blatantly state his feelings floored him. Being able to form no real coherent answer Ianto nodded, allowing Jack to pull him into a kiss. They had progressed slowly towards the bedroom before Ianto had even realized that they were moving, too consumed with the taste and feel of Jack.

They didn't have sex which surprised Ianto more than anything he had experienced that night. Instead of his usual veracity with intimacy Jack had quietly lead him to bed shedding his greatcoat and boots as he went. Cuddling was one thing Ianto was sure Jack didn't do but as he had proven him wrong about so many other things already it seemed only fitting that Ianto would find himself in his arms.

Laying his head on Jack's chest he allowed the other man to lightly pepper kisses on the top of his head. "I meant it." he whispered mid kiss, his breath gently moving Ianto's hair. He simply nodded, because what ever was going to happen tomorrow, he knew that at this moment, Jack was telling the truth. Closing his eyes, he allowed sleep to over take him, hoping that in the morning every thing would still be alright.


	5. After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood. It is the property of BBC Wales, and who ever else is mentioned in the credits. I make no money from writing this.

Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood. It is the property of BBC Wales, and who ever else is mentioned in the credits. I make no money from writing this.

AN: And here we go again. I want to thank everyone who's reviewed, your all wonderful, and I can not truly thank you enough for your support while I've been writing this. For all of you who can't get enough, don't worry I still have pleanty of coffee to fuel me. Anyway, enjoy this!

* * *

After

Morning came far too early for the Torchwood team. Tosh had woken to the smell of eggs and Owen's aftershave, possibly the most pleasant alarm clock to ever be invented in her opinion. A quick bit of breakfast and a shared shower later the two had headed out the door towards the hub. Ianto was absent from the tourists office as they made their way inside. Shooting a concerned look in Owen's direction Tosh hit the button before following him down. The hub was quiet, Gwen's station empty and no soft shuffle coming from the kitchen. Owen sent a shrug in her direction before heading off to the autopsy bay. Sighing Tosh turned towards her own work station, intent on getting a few last minute papers done before the day officially started.

The cog door rolled open ten minutes later, Jack strolling in, greatcoat billowing behind him. "Morning, Tosh." he said as he passed, a broad smile flashing. A little confused Tosh smiled anyways, inclining her head in greeting.

"Good morning, Jack. I've almost finished the report for the artifact we found last week." she said, sticking to business. Jack nodded waving his hand as he made his way to his office. Frowning slightly at the change in attitude since the night before she turned her attention back to the report she was typing.

Ten minutes later her attention was once again torn away from her screen as Ianto entered. Shooting a smile in his direction he didn't seem to be paying attention, moving slowly towards the kitchen instead. Frowning again she tried to push the worry aside, hoping nothing too bad had happened to him last night. She knew it would be difficult for him to deal with what they had learned, but it was something they each had to do, if only eventually.

At ten she sat aside her work and headed towards the boardroom for the briefing. Taking her usual seat she smiled shyly at Owen as he sat across from her. Accepting a mug of coffee she smiled warmly up at Ianto before turning her attention to the room. It was in that half a second that she realized Gwen wasn't there. Stopping to think she realized she hadn't seen the Welsh woman all morning. As Jack took his seat at the front of the table she let it drift from her mind, sure that if it had been important Jack would have told them.

Smiling at the group Jack flipped open the report Ianto had given him the night before. "As you all know, yesterday was a bit of an interesting day. We were told many interesting things, and now we have to deal with them." he said, his face taking on a more serious appearance. "Last night I spoke to an old friend, who helped me come to a solution to this."

Tosh worried her lip for a moment before speaking up. "Jack? Shouldn't we wait for Gwen before starting all this?" Her stomach sank a bit at the dark shadow that passed over the captain's eyes.

"That is partly what we have to talk about." His explanation didn't settle her nerves any but she nodded anyway. "Last night, I spoke to a friend who knows far more about this type of thing than even I do. When I explained that part of the information we were given told that one of the team had been punished by the high council he took interest. No one is above the council. Not one. Even the time agency has to listen to them. If that person did committed an action serious enough to get their full attention than it was no small thing. My friend advised me that I should remove the problem before the council became involved."

Jack paused for a moment, running a hand over his face. "I was told to wait and I would know what to do. And I did." He paused again, waiting for the rest to think about what he had said. Looking at them he saw a range of emotion pass between them.

In a split second Owen was out of his chair, face flushed with anger. "What the fuck have you done Jack!" he screamed, slamming his fist on the table. Tosh jerked back slightly at his harsh tone, and his defense of Gwen even after what they had learned. Her stomach twisted into knots as she thought about what that could mean. Glancing at Ianto she noticed that his face was as emotionless as usual.

Jack rose to meet Owen, his hands placed firmly on the table. "I did what was needed. If I had done nothing Gwen would have caused more damage." he spoke firmly, though his voice held no anger. "I contacted someone that I knew could help. Someone who was outside of what was happening here." Ianto's head shot up suddenly at Jack's words.

"You called the Doctor." he managed to force out. Jack's gaze shot to him, but he relaxed his stance. Motioning for Owen to retake his seat he did the same.

"He was the only person I knew that could do what I had asked, and handle the consequences." he admitted with a nod. Ianto leaned back in his seat, his mask slipping slightly. "I pulled in a very big favor. The Doctor went back and left me a slip of paper in 2000. He wrote one instruction on the outside for me. That I wasn't to open it till last night." As he looked at them their expressions varied but he knew that they understood what he had done.

Tosh pushed herself forward, looking at Jack fully. "You retconed her. You knew even before we left what had to be done." she said, her voice almost unbelieving. Glancing at Owen she took in the stormy look that had filled his eyes. "Now what?"

Jack sighed as he leaned back in the chair. "We make sure the loop continues. Gwen has been dealt with in a way to continue the loop even without Ian as an explanation. Now, we just have to make sure everything else that needs to happen does." His explanation seemed to both calm and frighten those around him.

"Than I die." Owen whispered more to himself than them. Looking up he stared at Tosh, his face contorting in pain. "I leave Tosh, and my daughter behind." Reaching across the table Tosh took his hand, a sad smile twisting on her face. Gripping tightly to her, he turned to look towards Jack for some answers.

He nodded sadly as he laced his fingers together. "You will have to go, wether you die and are brought back or not. You can still be a part of their lives, just not permanently. At least not till after they get back from here. Tosh will have to leave as well, but that's less certain. Meg never said when you died." Tosh nodded, holding on to Owen as though the world was ending. "You won't be alone, Owen. Ianto has to leave. If we've changed the future too much the exact events may never happen."

Ianto's eyes flashed dangerously. "I will not, Jack. I will do anything, but I will not leave my daughter alone." he spat, his anger oozing through every syllable. Jack sighed as he reached across to take hold of his hand.

"Yan. She won't be alone. I can promise you that. She'll have me, and she'll have Tosh. And someday, she'll even have Jenny there for her." he said, running a thumb over the back of his hand. Their eyes met and Ianto nodded in defeat. At least he could still follow her life even if he wasn't a part of it. Brushing a kiss against Jack's hand he allowed himself to smile. Matching it Jack turned his attention back towards the others. "I think given every thing that has happened in the past few days that we could all use a break. Take the day off. If it's important I'm be sure to call you."

Owen nodded, moving to stand. Tosh looked at him discreetly out of the corner of her eye, a soft smile over taking her face. "Um, sure thing, boss. See you in the morning." he replied in a rush heading out the door after one more look in Tosh's direction.

Waving a bit bashfully Tosh gave a giggle. "Bye." Without a word more she was out the door after Owen. Jack and Ianto looked at each other, laugh bubbling over. Leaning across the table Jack kissed him lightly on the lips.

"I think we missed our anniversary yesterday in all the rush. What do you say we make up for lost time." Jack leered down at him lifting one eyebrow suggestively.

Matching his look Ianto dug in his pocket. Pulling out the stop watch he smirked. "In that case, sir, you have... ten minutes to close this place up and met me in your room. Or you won't get your surprise." Jack stared at him a moment before pushing him self up. Winking at Ianto, he took off towards the tourist office, Ianto's laughter echoing after him.

fins.


	6. Redo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood. It is the property of BBC Wales and everyone else meantioned in royalty contracts. I make no money in the writing of this.

Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood. It is the property of BBC Wales and everyone else meantioned in royalty contracts. I make no money in the writing of this.

AN: Finally done! I was waiting till after 'Forest of the Dead' before I finished this. Having seen the latest episode of Doctor Who, and biting my nails till next Saturday, I sat down to finish this. I'm over all happy with it and hope you will be as well.

A special thanks to the following reviewers: , heather, Vamp-Lynette, Sacrifice of an Angle, SLNS, and strgzr. Everyone else thank you as well for reading!

* * *

Redo

Briallen leaned heavily against the railing as she watched Jenny fiddle with the Tardis controls. Running a hand lightly against the cool iron she watched the other woman's every move, lovingly caressing every curve of her body with her eyes, soaking everything into her memory. She loved her more than anything in the universe, and she'd seen a bit of that. Feeling Briallen's stare, Jenny shot a saucy little smile over her shoulder, a look of promise in her eyes. Walking up the grated incline Briallen wrapped her now bare arms around her waist.

"Lost the jumper I see." Jenny joked as she moved another control. Nodding against her shoulders she breathed in the scent that hung to the worn green tee shirt. She loved the smell of her, apple grass, clean cotton, mint, and just a splash of what Briallen had always thought was time itself. Jenny turned in her arms, kissing her gently on the lips before moving a lock of hair from her face. "Be home soon, luv."

Briallen hid her face, still hugging Jenny close to herself. "Rather stay here forever." Jenny's laughter was like a cool balm against the wounds that the past had reopened. It was so good just to be able to hold her again, to hear that wonderful sound.

"Your wish would be my command, m'lady, but Dad probably wants the Tardis back soon. I think he was going to take River to see the second Renaissance of Riegle five." A far off note appeared in her voice when she said river, as though the mere existence of it was surreal.

Kissing her gently at the crease of her lips, Briallen smiled up at her sadly. "Still not taking it well than?" They both knew very well what her question meant but Jenny diverted her eyes for a moment.

"I know he still misses Mum, and it's been almost a hundred years for him, but did he have to take up with the first pair of breasts that winked at him?" Her scowl made Briallen giggle slightly but she hide it by running circles down Jenny's back. "Mum'd pitch a fit. Not cause Dad's with someone new, always hated the fact that he'd be alone eventually, but because he didn't even think about it, just rushed ahead full speed." Huffing she pouted slightly crossing her arms like a small child.

"He had to get over her death eventually, Jenny." Briallen spoke gently as she played with the other woman's hair. Jenny pulled back slightly, a deep frown crossing her face. Tilting her head in her own question Briallen let her arms drop. "What is it?"

Looking her over closing Jenny took a slight step to the left. "My mum isn't dead." The words pierced Briallen's heart in less the a second. Staring openly at Jenny she tried to piece together the situation.

A look of dawning crossed her face a moment later, snapping her fingers in triumph. "Parallel worlds. Must have gotten the numbers wrong. Ah well, I guess I'll be going back to 2007 now to wait for my nonexistent ride." Backing up further from Jenny she tucked her hands in her back pockets, rocking nervously from ball to heel. She had been so sure that this was her Jenny, but looking at her closer she noticed subtle differences. That scar on her collar bone, thin and pale white, was gone. In her left ear she sported a small loop, something that Briallen knew didn't fit, Jenny had never had her ears pierced, not in all the fifteen years she had known her. Even her demeanor was wrong, screaming far too much of her adoptive mother rather than the battle ready alien Briallen had known.

Crossing her arms Jenny stopped to think for a moment. "Not possible. I would have had to specifically enter the coordinates to breach the void. I didn't, so your definitely from this universe. What could have gone wrong?" Shrugging her shoulders Briallen wrapped her arms around herself, praying that the coldness in her stomach would go away. Jenny turned back to the consul, pressing bottons while murmuring to the Tardis. The ship gave a soft hum in response, a soothing ambiance of yellow and green filling the room. Cursing slightly, Jenny hit the consul before turning back to her. "Some ones messed with time. It's the only explanation."

Not looking directly at the other woman Briallen gave a sort of hum in response. "They were working on a time loop when I left. Could be something got altered slightly, changing the time line just a bit. I wasn't there for the shift so I remember the old time line." Her explanation wasn't fool proof but it was the best she could come up with under pressure, and from Jenny's look she was inclined to accept it.

"Sounds plausible. We'll just have to test it." Leaning against the consul she looked her up and down, appraising every detail. "What was our first date?"

Taken back for a moment Briallen looked at her, nervously shifting. "Depends on what you mean by date." At Jenny's corked eyebrow she moved along. "We could count our first date as that time you took me to that Greek place on the other side of the city. I count from the night we wound up eating cold take away on my living room floor after we tracked down those Weevils through that carnival." A found smile passed over her face as she thought about how simple things had started. Looking at Jenny she knew at least that was still the same.

"You wore a blue dress." Briallen nodded, relaxing her stance slightly. "Where did you go to school? How did we meet?"

She shifted for a moment, unsure how to answer the question should the time line have changed that much. "I went to St. Beatrice's in London. All girl's prep. I saw you for the first time when I was ten. Came to Cardiff one summer to visit with Tosh because the school was being closed. You had just arrived a few months before. I hide under Tosh's desk and watched you talk to Jack about some alien gadget. We met for the first real time when I was sixteen. I was visiting again, and you were dating that hot shot rogue of a Time Agent. Broke my heart when you barely noticed me, I'd been harboring a crush for nearly six years." The smile died on her face when Jenny didn't return it. She looked at her closely, her ice blue gaze searching out her own eyes, begging almost to make contact.

"I noticed you. From the moment that little head of your's, complete with plaits, stuck out from under that desk, I noticed you." The silence was deafening but Briallen nodded anyway, hoping that what she was saying really was true. "I don't remember you going to St. Beatrice's though. I always thought that picture in Jack's office, your graduation picture, said something else in the back ground. Began with a t maybe."

Briallen stifled a bitter laugh. "Jack never went to my graduation. No one did. Tosh was laid up in the hospital after a bit of a nasty run in with something. I never had any pictures, except for one, the class composite. They gave one to any one who had who had ten quid." Leaning back against the railing she let the bitterness over take her. Jenny knew these things already, had asked about them when she'd found no photo albums save the one with her Tad's pictures in it.

Jenny's frown wasn't helping things either, her face scrunching up just slightly, like she was trying to solve a puzzle of some kind. "There's a picture of you in a graduation gown setting on his desk. He's in the picture, standing right next to you." Briallen scoffed at the idea of it, turning her face away to look at the wall. No one had ever cared about showing up for those things. Her college graduation had progressed in a similar manner, though at least she'd had a few friends to stand next to then. Tosh had barely been gone a year when she accepted her diploma. Jenny seemed to pick up on the emotions going through her because she took a step forward. "It's right next to your college photo. He's standing there with you Tosh off to the side. I've seen them Briallen. They're real."

"There not real if I can't remember them!" Her shout stilled every thing save the Tardis' humming. Taking a deep breath she tried to calm herself. "Jack was never much of part of my life, you know that Jenny. I've told you what it was like, growing up at St. Beatrice's. All year long, there, alone. I had no one. Still have no one." Jenny made to open her mouth but Briallen silenced her with a mild gesture. "Don't say I have you, we both know that isn't true. I'm a fleeting fancy. Hell, you told me as much your self after that whole Sletheen debacle. You didn't even start to care in till you thought I was going to die. Than the big romantic gestures start. Than you tear apart space and time to get me back." Sinking to the floor she felt tears running down her face, but she was far too tired to care. She felt the slight movement as Jenny moved to stand over her, looking down at her through hooded eyes. "Why didn't you let me go? Why didn't you let me die?"

Jenny sank down to the grated floor next to her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Bri." Briallen shrugged off her touch, not even looking up at her softly spoken name. "Briallen, I love you. I've loved you since the day you stormed into Torchwood demanding a job." Running a gentle hand over her hair she tried to sooth the sobbing that continued. "Yes, I said it was fancy. What else could I have said? I live so long, Bri. So very long compared to you. How could I do that, not just to you or me, but to us? You die in a blink of an eye, and I'm left alone again. Just me. I don't have a Tardis to see the universe with, to travel through time. I'm stuck here, on Earth, watching the human race die around me."

She still wouldn't look up at Jenny, her eyes staring blankly at the at the railing. "You won't be alone." Glancing at her out of the corner of her eye she sighed quietly. "I can't die." Jenny made to say something but Briallen raised a hand to stop her. "I know, I've tried. I suspected something right after you saved me. So I tried to off myself, needless to say I obviously came back."

Jenny's fingers slipped between her's grasping her hand tightly. "Bri, what did you do?" Briallen couldn't look at her, her eyes staring instead down at the floor.

"Let's just say I took a leaf out of my father's book." she said, letting the meaning dawn in her eyes. For her part Jenny didn't pull away. Briallen could feel her staring at her even if she wasn't looking at her.

Before either of them could say another thing the Tardis jerked slightly as it landed. Pulling her self up off the floor, Briallen wiped the tears from her face. Slipping back into her jumper she stood by the door for a moment looking back towards Jenny, before walking out the door. She passed right by the Doctor as she made her way across the plas, but she didn't bother to stop when he looked at her. Pushing herself forward she set her sights on Torchwood headquarters.

The small office was just how she remembered it to be. Looking at it now she noticed how much it looked like the old hub had before it had been blown up. Shaking her head she made her way towards the kitchen, feeling comforted by the sight of her coffee maker. Moving about the kitchen she slipped back into her normal routine. She almost felt happy just to be the 'tea-girl' again, her latest foray into field work going worse then even she had anticipated.

Glancing out of the corner of her eye she noticed Jenny enter the office, heading towards Jack's office. Pushing aside the rolling in her stomach she went back to the task at hand. Placing the mugs of coffee on a tray she almost bumped in to Meg on her way out of the kitchen. Ducking her head she gave a quiet 'sorry'.

Meg simply smile at her, and Briallen was surprised to see it wasn't forced like it usually was. "Not a problem, Briallen. Fresh coffee?" When Briallen nodded Meg picked up a mug, taking a sip. "Ta! You always make the best." Simply nodding she watched Meg walk away in curiosity. The usual response when she handed out coffee was no response at all, and on rare occasions a muttered 'thanks'. Shrugging it off she placed a mug next to were Kenzie was busy typing, and one on Tori, no Ian's desk. She still found it at times hard to remember he was a part of the team now.

Sighing for what was possibly the millionth time that day she headed towards Jack's office. Knocking quietly she entered when his voice answered. Walking in quietly she placed two mugs on the desk, Jack's in front of him, and Jenny's towards the other side. Looking up slightly she was surprised to see Jack smiling at her, he never did that. "Will there be anything else, sir?" It was always what she asked before leaving the office, even if on most occasions she barely got more than a grunt in answer. To her utter shock he outright laughed.

"You are so like your Tad sometimes." He continued to chuckle to himself as he shook his head. Briallen straightened her back a bit at that, unsure if it was meant to be a compliment or not, he rarely ever mentioned her Tad.

Nodding her head slowly she looked at him a bit strangely. "All the same, sir, is there anything else?" He looked at her a moment, a smile still on his face. She was a bit uneasy with him paying so much attention to her, she'd had always been regaled to the background before. The unnoticed child, she mused softly to herself. Shaking her head mentally she sighed. She really needed to get over this whole angst thing. Sure she'd had a rotten childhood, her biological father barely noticed her, and the love of her life was only settling for her but that was really no reason to whine about everything.

He seemed to have lost interest in her again anyway as he looked over her shoulder. The smile that crossed was much brighter than the one he had sent at her. Letting her shoulders slump slightly she tried not to look as he stood up and walked past her. No doubt Ian had come in for a chat with his father. The sound of gentle kissing shocked her more. Had the thing that changed been Gwen? She almost shuddered at the thought that Jack would willingly go to that harpy when he'd had her Tad as an option.

Shifting nervously she glanced at Jenny surprised at the heated look she was sending her. Briallen had been sure after her confession earlier she would have the other woman running in the opposite direction. Than again, perhaps it was the knowledge that she could never die that suddenly made Jenny more interested. Snorting slightly she almost rolled her eyes, half convinced she'd ended up in some odd echo of her own life.

Gentle chuckling broke her out of her musings, something about it seeming at bit off. In a split second her mind stopped as she realized the sound. Turning sharply she felt herself stumble back slightly till she hit the window. There, standing right next to Jack, their arms locked around each other was her Tad. Lifting a hand to her mouth she tried to stop her lips from trembling. He looked older than she remembered, a slight dusting of grey at his temple. She just looked at him, trying to come to grips with what she was seeing.

The smiles fell from their faces as the tears started to roll down her cheeks. Ianto took a step towards her, hand reaching out. "Briallen? What's wrong, cariad?" She just shook her head vigorously, as though he would disappear if she did it fast enough. Yes she had seen him alive just a few hours before but to her he'd been dead for over twenty years.

Not being able to stop herself she reached out to make sure he was real, her hand brushing against the sleeve of his suite jacket. "Tad." Her voice cracked as she spoke that simple word. A soft sob escaped her throat as she threw herself into his arms, hugging him closely. The soft murmurs of Welsh calmed her as he hugged her closely, running a comforting hand over her back. Drying her eyes she pulled back far enough to look at him. "It's really you."

He cupped her cheek gently, brushing away a tear. "Of course it is, Bri. I'm right here." Seeming to be comforted by that she pulled back further, smiling at him.

"How?" she asked in a breathy voice. Of all the questions that were floating through her head that was the one she wanted answered the most.

Her Tad looked at her in confusion, his brown scrunching up just slightly. "How what?" She stared at him strangely in return. Did he not know he had been dead? Had he never died here?

"But you were dead!" The words escaped her mouth before she could even fathom that she was about to say them. Ianto looked at her for a moment before glancing over her head towards Jenny.

Stepping forward she slipped an arm around Briallen's waist. "There was a slight... hiccup with the time line. A few memories are a bit scrambled right now, but she should remember everything clearly in time." Ianto nodded, smiling at them slightly.

Placing a gentle hand on her shoulder he drew her eyes to his. "If that was the case there was no need for you to come in." Glancing over his shoulder at Jack they exchanged a look.

Stepping forward to stand behind the other man Jack smiled at them as well, nodding in agreement. "I don't see the harm in a little rest, it's been quiet here for a bit. Go home early and get some rest. If it's the end of the world we'll be sure to call."

Nodding Briallen gave a soft smile of thanks. Taking a step forward she hugged Ianto. "I'll see you tomorrow, Tad." Making to step around Jack she was surprised as he pulled her into a hug. Standing there somewhat stiffly she looked over his shoulder rather than at him. It was then that a framed photo, hanging on the wall caught her attention. Her own face looked back at her, framed on one side by a tassel. On one side of her stood Tosh in a simple dress and on the other was Jack smiling broadly as he threw an arm around her shoulder. Closing her eyes for a second she smiled, returning Jack's hug. "Bye, Dad." Stepping back she waved as Jenny lead her out the door.

The way back to her apartment was quiet, neither talking as Briallen stared out the window, and Jenny drove. Making it inside she'd headed towards her bedroom noticing small differences from how it had been just the morning before. Setting down on the floor she pulled out her Tad's photo album, surprised to see others with it. Flipping through the pages she looked over the smiling faces and happy memories.

Jenny found her there twenty minutes later, her hair wet from the shower and a glass of wine in each hand. "We've been dating for two years." The statement stopped Jenny short, her glass half raised to her mouth. At her corked eyebrow Briallen looked down at the pictures again. "Tonight was our six month anniversary. I got you a necklace, hid it in the kitchen drawer last weekend." The explanation seemed to satisfy her because she made her way into the room setting down next to Briallen.

Handing over the other glass of wine she sipped her own gently. "I know." Fiddling with the collar of her tee shirt she pulled out a small silver charm on a thin chain. "You were so nervous when you gave me this. You'd said you'd had it since university." Touching the charm gently Briallen nodded, she remembered the intricate design very well.

Glancing up into her ice blue eyes she sighed lightly, watching as the breath moved the other woman's hair just slightly. "I'm sorry I don't remember." Jenny shrugged, lacing their fingers together.

"You have plenty of time to." Pressing to gentle kiss to the back of her hand. Removing her photo album from Briallen's lap she help her to her feet. "We have all the time in the world." Kissing her gently she pushed her gently towards the bed. Falling back wards Briallen let the kiss over take her.

Breaking away breathless she stared up at her, her eyes shining. "I love you." Grinning Jenny pressed another kiss to her lips.

"Quite right too." Laughing soundlessly she pulled her into a long passionate kiss. Smiling against her lips Briallen let the feeling over take her. They had all the time in the world after all.

fin.


End file.
